Tom Simmons

We’re proud to share that both M&G Investments and Prudential Assurance Company (PAC) have successfully retained their signatory status to the Financial Reporting Council’s UK Stewardship Code 2020, the gold standard for stewardship in our industry.     Stewardship is a key lever we use to support positive change — driving long-term value for clients leading to sustainable benefits for the economy, the environment and society. In this blog, Laura O'Shea and Guy Rolfe, CFA share their Stewardship highlights from the last year: https://lnkd.in/edxSBPXX   The value of your investment can go down as well as up and so you might not get back the amount you put in. Your capital’s at risk.

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Mid-sized DB and DC schemes are officially in scope for Pensions Dashboards staging. Having successfully connected 30 schemes, Harvi Rana, Pensions Dashboards Lead at Isio, highlights that to have a successful connection, schemes should begin work on data quality, matching criteria, and calculations well ahead of their upcoming deadlines. Dashboards are more than a compliance task - they’re an opportunity to strengthen operations and deliver better outcomes for members. With 2026 set to be the busiest year for Dashboards connections, now’s the time to act. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/e89VczBP #Pensions #DefinedBenefit #PensionsDashboards

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Kevin Kidney, Head of Investments, discusses the driving factors behind the all-time highs we have seen in the FTSE 100, S&P 500, and the NASDAQ, and why that continues to benefit the True Potential Portfolios. 

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Elena Vydrine, IIGCC Senior Investment Specialist, welcomes the Financial Reporting Council's first references to index-based investing in the latest UK Stewardship Code: 🗨️"The code, which sets a benchmark for transparency and accountability for asset owners, managers, and service providers, explicitly references index-based investing for the first time. This recognises their growing importance and marks a shift from the reductive 'passive' label. Critically, it begins to acknowledge the different nuances and approaches available to index and other investors. “With index funds largely invested in a broad universe of securities, our recent paper highlighted that index/ETF fund managers may be uniquely positioned to advocate for improved governance, market integrity, and to mitigate systemic risks for long-term value creation and fiduciary reasons. "Translating this understanding from investors to regulators is essential to driving systemic progress." Elena Vydrine  Key references and additional guidance include: 📜"The investment landscape has changed significantly since the publication of the first UK Stewardship Code in 2010 … There has also been a significant move to index-based investing. These approaches have different terms, investment periods, and rights and responsibilities. Signatories will need to consider how to exercise stewardship effectively in these circumstances." (p.5, 2026 Code) 📜 "Signatories should use the resources, rights and influence available to them to exercise stewardship, no matter how capital is invested." (p.12, 2026 Code) 📜"Signatories may take a different approach to integrating stewardship and investment depending on whether they are active managers or use indexation. Signatories that offer index products could refer to the extent to which the development of these products have been driven by their own or their clients' stewardship strategy." (p.7 Principle 1: Stewardship-Integrated Investing, 2026 Code Guidance) 📜"Signatories that invest through index products may wish to give examples of discussion they have had about their selection of indices either with their manager or investment consultant." (p.18, Principle 5: Manager Selection and Oversight, 2026 Code Guidance) Read 'Index investing for the net zero transition' below ⬇️ #IndexInvesting #Stewardship #MarketIntegrity #NetZero #UKStewardshipCode2026

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We attended the CFA Society UK’s New Investment Order event on 24 September. The event included an expert panel, “Innovate or Die,” featuring Kim Hochfeld, Global head of Cash, who shared practical insights on what innovation demands of investment firms today – and what it will demand tomorrow. ➤ A clear theme emerged: the convergence of TradFi and DeFi is accelerating, laying the groundwork for a more efficient, digitized financial market infrastructure. ➤ The panel underscored that blockchain, like AI, will underpin a shift in financial architecture – often quietly, until efficiencies and new markets emerge. ➤ From navigating tokenisation, AI, and blockchain, the discussion explored how investment professionals can stay ahead of disruption. Kim reflected on the potential of tokenisation, drawing from her experience during the LDI crisis to highlight how tokenized money market funds could accelerate collateral mobility and help resolve real-world frictions. The evening also included a roundtable on ‘Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Assets,’ co-hosted by Prab Bajwa, Senior Digital Asset Risk Officer, which emphasized the lessons learned from crypto and the foundational role of trust – anchored in institutional-grade custody and robust risk frameworks. Rewiring the plumbing of financial markets is a complex and challenging endeavor, but getting there starts here. Thank you to CFA UK for hosting a timely and thought-provoking discussion. #GetThere

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